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Here is a list of other companies that have gained recognition amongst their employees and the work force in general for having innovative programs to help the working parent meet the demands of work, home, and finance.

With all the companies on this list, you will find that there is typically some type of flex work scheduling program, additional maternity leave, or discounted day care. Some of them will also provide on site services that help to eliminate the number of routine tasks that parents have to complete in their off hours.

• Merrill Lynch is based in New York, NY and provides financial services to private, institutional and government clients. There are, of course, Merrill Lynch branch offices all over the United States. They have a total of 51,100 employees in their New York Offices and 21,500 of those are women.

• Turner Broadcasting System produces news, entertainment and young-adult programs. They currently provide jobs to 9049 employees and 4,105 of those are women.

• Freddie Mac located in Mclean, VA sporting 5414 employees, 2680 of which are women. They provide financing for home mortgages and rental housing.

• patagonia is located in Ventura, CA. They manufacture outdoor apparel and accessories. They are small but innovative and growing every year. They currently sport an employee base of only 764 employees, with 416 of those being women.

• Lego is based in Enfield, CT. and has long been the name associated with the manufacturing of toys that are now sold in more than 130 countries. Lego has 906 employees and 543 of those are women.

• Covington in Washington, DC is another small company with a big agenda of services for its employees. Covington provides corporate, litigation, and regulatory counsel. With 1043 employees, 600 are women and they are continuing to grow.

• Intel has its headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, but also has major facilities in the Portland Oregon area. They are one of the companies that has truly created a modern work force, while always being the innovative leader in high tech manufacturing of computer systems. With 46,207 employees they show 11,166 of those being women.

• Microsoft is the Seattle-based giant developed by Bill Gates. They develop computer software, services and solutions. In their Washington state facility, they employ 51,143 people, with 13,043 of those being women.

• Bank of America is based in Charlotte, NC, but provides jobs all over the United States. Their employees total 186,892 and 123,127 of those are women. B of A is of course, well known for its banking services, but they also provide investing, asset management and other financial and risk management services as well.

If one does a bit of research while they are on the job hunt, they can find many companies that are taking major strides to provide a work environment that enhances the working parents life and helps to keep the “work/life balance” more balanced.

Whatever your needs are, when you are interviewing, ask about the programs that the company offers to its employees. You’ll be surprised to find how many employers are attempting to bring on programs that help to meet those needs.

Continuing our look at companies that recognize the duties and responsibilities of people in the work force who are also raising families, we have found a couple more companies that offer some terrific services to the working Mom and Dad.

Hallmark Cards has its headquarters in Kansas City, MO. They are of course a household name to most of us, providing greeting cards, ornaments, TV programming as well as many other products. Hallmark has been in business for 98 years and currently employs 31,412 employees, with 25,951 being women.

• Hallmark has been providing flexible work schedules for more than a decade. Their flex-work program includes telecommuting, job-sharing, and compressed workweeks.

• Full-time care for children has been made very affordable through a ten-percent employee discount at two national child-care chains. They also have access to a resource and referral service to help locate other options.

• In 2007, Hallmark sponsored an executive panel discussion on worklife balance and a women’s leadership conference. They believe this initiative is have a real effect, especially since last year more than 80% of the new managers were women.

Allstate Insurance is headquartered in Northbrook, IL, they provide insurance and financial products. They have a total of 36,495 employees, 21,590 of which are women. A couple of their programs include:

• All State has a headquartered-based daycare program with an additional three nearby child care facilities that provides up to 30% off the cost of a day care center for the working parent. Yet it doesn’t stop there, if the employees are working for Allstate in another location, they also get access to discounted child care through four other national providers.

• A very important aspect of the Allstate work force programs is their flex scheduling. Since women represent such a high number of employees, the work/life balance is encouraged. In 2007, 75% of employees flexed their schedules, included in that 75% were 28% who telecommuted and 10% who worked compressed schedules.

• They also provide a number of services that cut down back on the number of things a person has to fit into their already over packed off hours. Included in the stress buster service program are such things as dry cleaning, catering, movie rentals and minor auto repairs. There is of course available as well on-site insurance and financial agency services.

General Mills has its base in Minneapolis, MN. Of course they are well-known for all the packaged food products they produce. They have 16,809 employees and 6,795 of those are women. Take a look at some of their programs.

• Time off to volunteer – but here’s the nice part – its paid time off! GM will give up to ten hours of paid time off a year to work as a volunteer in the community.

• New parents can receive as much as 26 weeks off, without risking their jobs. Three weeks are fully paid, and three are partially paid for the moms. For the dads, or adoptive parents, it is two fully paid weeks off.

• They also run flex scheduling with 42% of the employees regularly changing their hours and in the summer, most employees work a 45-minute longer day so that Friday quitting time is at lunch.

What tends to classify a company as innovative to the working parent? Overall, it is the company that recognizes there is more to your life than working and commuting to home so that you can get rested up and start the work/commute all over again, except for those off hours where you have to jam in all your life duties, rapidly and sometimes rather stressfully.

It is the company that recognizes parents are working for their families, but those families exist right now and the work needs to be done in accordance with the responsibility of also being a parent.

Some companies are recognizing more and more the burden it can be for working parents to juggle finances, time, work, and the responsibilities of parenting and taking steps to provide programs to the working parent that will help ease that juggling act.

Here are a few companies that have risen to the occasion and begun to get a name for themselves amongst the working parents.

Dell: More than likely you are familiar with this Texas-based company. Located in Round Rock Texas, they manufacture personal computers and servers as well as network and mobile technology. They currently provide jobs for 28,436 employees, 8631 of which are women.

Dell has made a name for itself with three of its programs designed to help create a positive and rewarding work environment.

• The company continues to value employee feedback about the way it does business. A new survey asks staffer to actually rate their managers, and they have two blogs where staff can discuss workplace issues.

• In both the Texas and North Carolina facilities parents have access to full time and back up child care at ten near-site centers. They even have an in-home nanny program that staff can request, at a cost of $4.00 per hour when a child cannot attend regular care for some reason.

• They also provide a healthy pregnancy program for mothers-to-be, giving important physical health information to help during those critical nine months. This program even provides a maternity hotline that parents can call 24/7.

• They may be one of the few companies recognizing the care that the elderly also require with their program designed to help workers with aging parents. Employees can locate elder care through a resource and referral hotline and can poll an employee support group for recommendations.

Accenture: a New York company that supplies management consulting, technology services and outsourcing. They currently have a total of 28,468 employees, 11,925 of which are women. They offer some great programs. Here’s a couple of examples:

• Accenture allows the freedom to work four long days in exchange for Fridays off, as well as working from home during the weeks of July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

• Accenture also provides an extended leave program. They allow employees to divert a portion of their pay to help fund their leave. One example of how this program works is with new moms. They can add an extra month to their 16-week maternity leave. (Already 10 weeks better than most places!) Other employees have used the program to take three months off without jeopardizing their jobs or health benefits. Just imagine – summer with your kids!

For many people, the beginning of a new career starts with entering college. College is the perfect step for any aspiring professional struggling to find happiness in a current job. A strong education can help you move out of a dead end job and into an industry that you enjoy. As much potential as a college education can bring, it is a difficult goal to juggle for any working individual.

Even with just college and career to juggle, a busy worker can find herself struggling for a break. Most people in this position will be able to relate to the juggling effect. Going to work from nine to five then finding the strength to endure through two or three hour night classes can start to take its toll on even the toughest people out there.

If you work a full time job, perhaps the next step to ease your daily schedule is to speak to your employer and ask for some flexibility in hours. Some employers even offer tuition assistance for those dedicated to higher education. If your employer is flexible, consider taking some time prior to an exam or school presentation to relax.

Take time for yourself. Sometimes you’ll feel that the pull from all your responsibilities become too overwhelming. Setting aside some time to be alone can relieve stress immensely. Spend time at a place you enjoy like a park or the beach. Just a small amount of time to reflect on your day and your goals can help regroup thoughts and strengthen your emotions.

If you are genuinely looking for a career change, consider making the move to work for yourself or find another career. The change can be stressful, but the benefits from a happier position far outweigh the stress. The stress will be relieved in time, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!

Plenty of people decide to go back to school to finish the degree they started years ago. It’s no doubt that a college degree will help you in the future. You may even decide to study a subject completely different than your current career. Here are a few tips on how to juggle a job with school.

Expect school and work to require large amounts of your time, so register for classes slowly for your first semester. If you haven’t been in college for a while, then you will need time to adjust. Remember, college is not just showing up to a class and taking notes. College will require daily studying, and I guarantee you won’t feel like opening books after a long work day.

The lunch hour might be your best study time. Some people work through lunch and others have social lunches. If you have an exam that day, studying during lunch can be the difference between an ‘A’ and a ‘B’. If lunch is your time to socialize with co-workers, you may have to give up some of your social life to foster your academic career.

Some classes require you to be there at odd times during the day. At first, the core classes like English, History, and Math are available before or after the typical 9am-5pm work day. The classes will be easily worked into your job schedule. However, future classes will require your time at various points in the day. You might only be able to attend a required degree class in the later morning or early afternoon. This is a huge consideration since your job and manager will need to be flexible with your time.

College is incredibly satisfying to those who can juggle its schedule. It can boost your existing career opportunities, or it can bring you a whole new career after graduation. No matter what age, college is full of advantages for a future job seeker.